Prosthetic breast and supporting garment



July 3, 1956 D. R. WlLHELM PROSTHETIC BREAST AND SUPPORTING GARMENT Filed July 25, 1955 INVENTOR. Damfrfzy Reser M/be/m rnosranrrc BREAST a surronrnso Dorothy Reser Wilhelm, Walla Walla, Wash.

Application July 25, 1955, Serial N 0. 524,197

4 tilaims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates generally to prosthetic devices and more particularly to devices for restoring the female figure after having been subjected to a mastectomy.

It is well known that in accordance with the severity of the requirement the area of the body involved in a mastectomy will vary. In some cases only the main body bulge of the breast may be removed. In other cases the area from which body tissue is removed will extend laterally under the arm or upwardly nearly to the clavicle, and in many cases the body tissue is removed almost to the rib cage in all three areas.

A complete mastectomy of the latter type requires that to aid in restoring the morale of the patient means must be provided to restore the body form to provide a symmetrical foundation for outer garments. This is the primary purpose of the present invention.

It is a second object to provide a brassiere of the overall size and cup size required for the natural form of the user and to provide for one of the cups of the brassiere a prosthetic breast form of sponge rubber or sponge plastic having the form and feel of a natural breast.

It is a third object to provide such a breast form comprising a main breast or body bulge part with a lateral underarm extension and an upward extension from the base thereof.

It is a fourth object to provide such a combination breast form and brassiere having means for securing the breast form to the brassiere to maintain their relative positions in use.

It is a fifth object to provide such a combination breast form and brassiere with weighting means for balancing the two sides of the users figure.

It is a sixth object to provide such a combination with a brassiere having pockets formed therein for figure balancing weights.

How these and other objects are attained is explained in the following description referring to the attached drawing in which Fig. l is a lateral frontal elevation in perspective of my combination breast form and brassiere in position on a subject having had a left side mastectomy.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view from the same position as Fig. l but with the left side of the brassiere dropped to show the breast form in place.

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the breast form of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown at 11 in Figures 1 and 2 a fragmental human female figure having had a left side mastectomy. In Fig. 2 my breast form 12 is shown in place on the figure to simulate the natural flesh removed therefrom while my brassiere 13 is shown with its right side in place over the natural breast 14 and its left side ready to be placed in wearing position.

In Fig. 1 my breast form 12 and brassiere 13 are shown in wearing position on the figure 11.

2,752,602 Patented July 3, 1956 From the several figures it is seen that the breast form of my invention in its preferred form is shown to be a single piece molding of a form of sponge rubber or plastic having breathing pores therethrough. Such material of a type now used for plastic doll bodies is well known and available but its technical description is not known to me. The material is washable and not affected by body acids or perspiration. The pliability and surface finish of the material closely simulates the texture of the natural breast. See French Patent No. 756,732, September 25, 1933, to M. Nicolas Becker.

Breast form 12 is seen to have a hollow cup shaped part 15, with a lateral part 16 and a vertical part 17 extending from the base of part 15. Part 15 on its outer or front side is formed similarly to the shape of cup 18 of brassiere 13, the right cup 19 of which is similarly formed to confine natural breast 14 in an esthetic or cosmetic shape.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5 the rear face 20 of form 12 follows a smoothly curved surface to approximate the rib cage cover surface of the human figure. The front surface of form 12 is faired off at the edges of parts 16 and 17 to meet the human figure naturally. On the inner and lower sides of part 15 the front surface of form 12 meets the human figure more abruptly as is natural for the location.

The thickness of the part 15 of form 12, as for instance at 21, is determined by the necessary material required to give the form its desired resilience and stiffness.

Since material of the type required to make my breast form 12 is old and cosmetic breast forms, or falsies," made of the material are old it is understood that the novelty and utility of my breast form resides in its complete shape including the extension 17 and the means 22 for attaching the form 12 to brassiere strap 23. As shown the attachment means 22 is formed of a strip of woven tape 24 secured to form 12 at 25 with the two halves 26, 27, of a snap fastener secured to the tape 24. In use as shown in Fig. 1 the two ends of tape 24 are folded forwardly around brassiere strap 23 and the snap fastener halves 26, 27 are pressed together to secure strap 23 within tape 24.

It is to be noted that the brassiere 13 of my invention is particularly formed to be used in combination with my breast form 12 and is designed with a body fitting belt or band 28 to which are secured as shown the two spaced breast cups 18, 19. Near the top and outer side of breast cup 18, on the inside of band 28, tape loops 29, 30, are attached at their ends as shown in Fig. 2, and in use in Fig. 1, where it is seen that tape 29 surrounds vertical part 17 of breast form 12 and tape 30 surrounds lateral part 16 of breast form 12. When therefore breast form 12 has its part 15 fitted in cup 18 of brassiere 13 with the upper extension 17 of form 12 inserted under tape 29 of brassiere 13, lateral extension 16 of form 12 inserted under tape 30 of brassiere 13, and attachment means 22 of form 12 secured around brassiere strap 23 it is seen that my combination breast form and brassiere becomes a unitary piece ready to be put on as simply and quickly and with as much assurance as a simple brassiere is applied to a completely natural female figure. It is further seen that my breast form 12 and brassiere 13 are quickly separable for laundering or other purpose.

In the use of breast forms it has been found that without making the forms to impractical for use, the forms are not as heavy as the natural tissue they simulate. For this reason the unsymmetrical weight application to the two brassiere straps gives the wearer a noticeable and in some cases bothersome feeling of unbalance or lopsidedness. To overcome this feeling as required it is to be noted that as at 31 I have formed on the inner side of the band 28 under the cup 13 of by brassiere 13 one or more pockets for receiving a suflicient number of clothing weights or other heavy pieces of material to give the wearer the desired feeling of balance.

Having thus recited some of the objects of my invention, illustrated and described a preferred form in which-my invention may be practiced andexplained its use, I claim: The combination of a prosthetic breast form and a supporti'ng under garment therefor adapted to restore the human female figure and provide a symmetrical foundation'forouter garments after the figure hasbeen subjected -to-a mastectomy,-said combination comprising a prosthetic breast form, a brassiere means coo erativel formed on g V I said breast form and said brassiere for securing said breast form-and said brassiere in their required relative positions and means for Weighting said combination as desired to equalize-theapparent weight supported by the two sides of the-brassiere: said breast form consisting of a one piece sponge plastic form with a principal part simulating the main body bulge of the natural breast that has been removed, a lateral part extending laterally from said principal part to simulate the underarm breast tissue removed and a vertical part extending vertically from said principal part to simulate the upper chest breast tissue removed and attachment means secured to the upper end of said verticalpart; said brassiere including a body band, a pair of symmetrical breast cups symmetrically secured in lateral spaced relation to the front of said body band, oneof said cups being adapted to receive said principal part ofsaid breast form, means formed in said brassiere at the lower sideof said one of said cups for receiving said weighting means and a pair of shoulder straps, one of said straps at its rear end being attached to said body band and at its forward end to said one of said cups; and said means cooperatively formed on said breast form and said brassiere for securing said breast form and said brassiere in their required relative positions includes said one of said cups of said brassiere, means formed on said brassiere laterally of said one of said cups for receiving said'lateral part of said breast form, means formed on said brassiere upwardly of said one of said cups for receiving said vertical part of said breast form and said attachment means, said attachment means being adapted to align the free end of said vertical part of said breast form with the one of said shoulder straps having its forward end attached tothe upper end of said one of said cups.

2'. The; combination of a prosthetic breast form and a supporting brassiere therefor adapted to restore the female figure and provide a symmetrical foundation for outer garments after the figure has been subjected to a mastectomy: said-breast form Comprising a single piece of foam plastic-material having a principal part simulating the main body bulge of the natural breast that has been removed, a iateral part extending laterally from said principal part to simulate the underarm tissue removed and a vertical part extending upwardly from said principal partto simulate the upper chest tissue removed; said brassiere comprising a body band, a pair of symmetrically laterally spaced breast cups symmetrically secured to the front of said body band, one of said cups being formed to receive said principal part of said breast form only, strap means secured at its ends to said brassiere at the outer side of said one of said cups to underlie the lateral part of said breast form, strap means secured at its ends to said brassiere at the upper side of said one of said cups to underlie the vertical part of said breast form, and a pair of shoulder straps, onetof said shoulder straps having its rear end attached to said body band and its forward end attached to said brassiere above said one of said cups; and said breast form including means secured to said vertical part of said breast form to surround said one of said shoulder straps to secure said vertical part of said breastform in its desired lateral position.

3. A prosthetic breast and supporting garment comprising in cooperating combination a pliable foam plastic hollow breast form having a somewhat conical somewhat hemispherical main part with a first flange part extending upwardly from the base of said main part and a second flange part extending laterally from the base of said main part together with a supportingtbrassiere for said breast form having atbody band, a pair of breast cups secured to said body band at the front thereof and a pair of shoulder straps secured at one end to said body band at the rear thereof and at the other end respectively to said cups, said brassiere being positioned with one of said cups over said main part of said breast form, said body band being positioned over said second flange part of said breast form and the one of said shoulderstraps secured to said one ofsaidcups being positioned longitudinally over said first'flange part ofv said breast form, said brassiere having secured by theirrespective ends to the wearers side thereof a pair of straps of which one with the body-band surrounds said second ;flange ofsaid breast form and of which the other with therimv of said cup surrounds said first flange ofsaid breast, formand said first flange of said breast form including means near its free end for surrounding the, one of: said pair of shoulder straps attached to said one of said cups,

4, The combination of claim 3 in which said body band of said brassiere below said one breast cup thereof includes pocket means formed thereinfor the purpose of receiving balancing weights to equalize the load on said two shoulder straps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,845,011 iYerkes Feb. 12, 1932 ;1,ss4,243 Richards Oct. 25, 1932 2,070,369 Miller Feb. 9, 1937 2,651,783 Wright Sept. 15, 1953 2,657,386 Wolfi? Nov. 3,1953 2,717,602 Radler Sept. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS "756,732 France Sept. .25, 1933 831,870 Germany, Feb. 18, 1952 v 'ornlnn REFERENCES Corset and Underwear Review, June 1954, New York, p. 98, advertisement of Identical Form, Inc. 

